Grant: England needed my stars

Avram Grant insists England's Euro 2008 qualifying fate would still be in their hands if John Terry and Frank Lampard had played against Russia.

The skipper was ruled out through injury, while his Chelsea team-mate was left on the bench for most of the defeat last month which left Steve McClaren's side on the verge of elimination.

Gareth Barry was preferred to Lampard in Moscow after the former West Ham trainee lost his place while out with a thigh problem, but he has bounced back into fantastic form for his club.

Chelsea manager Grant said: "I am sure that if Frank and John had played in the last game against Russia, the result would have been different."

As Lampard returns to Gelsenkirchen with Chelsea in the Champions League tonight against Schalke, Grant is backing him to overcome any demons from his World Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out miss against Portugal there last year.

The Israeli said: "Frank has a strong character and I have full confidence in him.

"He also missed a penalty for Chelsea this season and then scored one against Liverpool at Anfield in a very difficult moment for the team."